Beer Stories
Erie, Pennsylvania, the site where three sets of railroad track gauges met, was an important transportation hub in the mid-nineteenth century. Railbender Ale is named after the laborers who laid the railroad tracks. It is brewed with pride, strength and purity; symbolic of Erie’s historic railroads and their workers. Railbender is a strong Scottish Style Ale with astonishing drinkability. One try and you’ll want to “Bend the rules and ride the rails!”

12 ounce bottle into snifter, no bottle dating. Pours lightly hazy/cloudy deep orange/copper color with a 1 finger dense light khaki head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Light spotty soapy lacing clings around the glass, with a good amount of streaming carbonation retaining the head. Aromas of raisin, plum, apple, caramel, toffee, toast, biscuit, brown sugar, nuttiness, light smoke, herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Nice aromas with good complexity and solid balance of fruity/earthy yeast and dark/bready malt notes; with good strength. A bit too fruity in the nose. Taste of caramel, toffee, toast, biscuit, brown sugar, plum, apple, light nuttiness, light smoke, light herbal, and yeast/toasted earthiness. Minimal earthy herbal bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of caramel, toffee, toast, biscuit, brown sugar, plum, apple, light nuttiness/smoke, and yeast/toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of dark/bready malt and light-moderate fruity/earthy yeast flavors; with zero cloying flavors present after the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied; with a very smooth, moderately creamy, and lightly bready mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with minimal warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very nice Scottish ale style. All around good robustness, balance, and complexity of dark/bready malt and light-moderate fruity/earthy yeast flavors; and very smooth to drink. A very enjoyable offering.

Notes of chocolate and toast on the nose. Appearance is a dark copper with a very small off white head. Flavor doesn't have much malt character. The beer tastes oxidized and it lacks complexity. Mouthfeel is light and has very little carbonation. Overall, it's very poorly made and handled.
---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

Pours clear copper, with almost no head. Smells malty and a tad sour. Taste is mildly roasty malts, and just sweet. Considering the other beers I’ve had from here, this wasn’t that bad.
Had from a bottle.

Transfer from BA review on 10-1-12-
Poured from bottle into pint glass
Appearance – Pours a lightly hazed amber copper color with a one finger off white head. The head faded relatively fast to leave a good level of lacing.
Smell – The aroma was heavy of malt and sweet caramel and butterscotch. Mixed with these were lighter aromas of a nuttiness as well as some faint fruit aromas.
Taste – The taste begins very malty with some lighter butterscotch sweetness. As the flavor advances some sweeter tastes of caramel, citrus and a light dark fruit flavor enter the taste. While more sweetness comes to the tongue, it is still on the tamer side in comparison to many Scottish ales. More toward the end some alcohol comes to the tongue as well as a bitter earthy flavor. These flavors when mixed with the alcohol create a malty, slightly bitter, and warming flavor on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the slightly more chewy side with a carbonation level that is on the medium to high side. The chewiness is nice for the style and the flavors, but the carbonation level is a little too high and takes away from the overall feel by keeping all the malty flavors from really soaking into the tongue.
Overall – Not too over the top (too sweet or too boozy) like some Scottish ales, but yet has a very nice flavor. The only thing taking it down some was a poor feel due to the high carbonation. Worth a try though if you get a chance.

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